2 Fort Collins intersections to get red light cameras: Do you have to pay camera tickets?

Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Updated ·4 min read
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Two more of Fort Collins' busiest intersections are set to get red light cameras later this fall.

The new cameras will be added at South Shields Street and West Harmony Road and South Lemay Avenue and East Drake Road in the coming weeks, Fort Collins Police Services said in a news release. The expansion increases the number of intersections in the city's red light camera program to six.

Starting on or after Oct. 25 — after the cameras are installed — a 30-day warning-only period will begin. For the first 30 days the cameras are active, any violations will result in a warning. After the 30-day warning period ends, violations will result in citations and fines.

What is the penalty for a red light camera violation?

Red light camera tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle's address. These violations are civil infractions that result in a $75 fine, but they do not affect insurance, nor do they put points on your license.

Do you need to pay a red light camera ticket?

When you receive a red light camera ticket in the mail, you are asked to pay the $75 fine by the "respond by" date listed on the notice, Fort Collins criminal defense attorney Matthew Haltzman said. Here is what Haltzman said the process looks like if you do not pay by that date:

  • A second notice may be sent via mail.

  • If there's no response to that, a certified police officer may go to your home to personally serve you with a summons, which includes an arraignment date, at which time you must appear in court in front of a judge.

  • If you are found guilty or plead guilty after receiving a summons, a minimum $40 service cost will be assessed in addition to any other fines issued.

Individuals can also plead not guilty and have a trial, Haltzman said, which would be scheduled within 90 days of the date you plead not guilty.

There are also several scenarios where someone may want to contest a red light camera ticket, Haltzman said, most commonly because they are the registered owner of the car but were not the one driving. Haltzman said there are several options to address the ticket in that situation:

  • The registered owner can pay the ticket for the driver. The ticket will remain in the original person's name but note that it will not affect the original person's license and the violation is not reported to the state.

  • If the owner knows the driver and they want them to take responsibility for the ticket, they can return the ticket with the driver's name and address on it. The original ticket should be dismissed, and the ticket may be reissued to the identified driver.

  • If the owner doesn't know who the driver is or doesn't want to identify the driver, the owner can request the ticket be dismissed through a motion with the court, including their driver's license and photo. The prosecutor will review the motion and, if they agree, send it to the municipal court judge for a decision on dismissing it. If the prosecutor objects, the case could be scheduled for trial.

Where are the other red light cameras in Fort Collins?

The addition of these two cameras brings the total number of red light cameras in Fort Collins to six. The other four are located at:

  • South College Avenue at Drake Road

  • East Harmony Road at South Timberline Road

  • West Mulberry Street at South Shields Street

  • West Prospect Road at South Shields Street

Through August of this year, there have been 10,352 red light violations resulting from the city's existing red light cameras, police spokesperson Brandon Barnes told the Coloradoan.

Why did the city put red light cameras at these intersections?

The camera program aims to reduce red light violations throughout the city, which can result in serious or fatal crashes, according to the news release.

The two newest intersections to get cameras — South Shields and West Harmony and South Lemay and East Drake — were selected after city staff reviewed historical data, including the number of crashes and traffic volume at each intersection.

The Lemay and Drake intersection was identified as the city's fourth-most dangerous intersection last year, according to the 2022 Safety in the City report, which considers number of crashes and traffic volume. Adding red light cameras to this intersection aims to address some of those safety concerns.

Other intersections with red light cameras were also identified among the city's most dangerous last year, including:

  • South College Avenue and Drake Road (ranked No. 1 with the most excessive injury/fatal crashes over the last three years)

  • Harmony and Timberline roads (the intersection with the most serious injury crashes last year and the city's busiest intersection)

  • Shields and Prospect roads (ranked No. 3 most dangerous)

Read more: What we know about Fort Collins' most dangerous intersections and plans to fix them

Senior reporter Miles Blumhardt contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 2 Fort Collins intersections to get new red light cameras this fall